Starting on Tuesday, June 5, Delaware will become the first state to allow betting on sports since the Supreme Court overturned the federal anti-sports gambling law earlier in May. Betting will be run by the Delaware Lottery, and it will be open at all of the state’s three casinos.
The Delaware Lottery has already published a guide explaining how to gamble on sports, which includes pretty detailed information on all the major professional ones, including more niche betting sports like soccer and NASCAR. There’s no mention yet of betting on college sports, but it’s expected to be allowed, too, with the exception of games involving the University of Delaware or Delaware State.
Delaware already had a small exemption from the federal sports gambling ban for NFL parlays. In becoming the first state to fully legalize sports gambling after the Supreme Court ruling, they beat New Jersey—which is also expected to legalize bets very soon—and give wanna-be gamblers an excuse to check out a tiny east-coast state. “We’re hopeful that this will bring even more visitors into Delaware to see firsthand what our state has to offer,” Governor John Carney said in a statement. I’m not sure about that, but I do hear Lewes is nice in the summer, at least.